Dome of the Rock inscriptions (691/2)
691 – 692
Place: jerusalem
31.778, 35.235 · On the map
The inscription is attested and in place. Its wording differs slightly from the standard Qur'an text, and scholars debate what that means for when the Qur'an was codified. EPILOGUE (after 632).
'Abd al-Malik's shrine on the Temple Mount carries a long mosaic inscription addressed to Christians. It quotes Q 4:171–172 ('the Messiah Jesus son of Mary was only a messenger of God'), Q 19:33–36 and Sura 112. It is the first dated public statement of the Qur'anic Jesus, set up in Jesus' own city, and closes the chain as an epilogue.
People named here
- 'Abd al-Malik
- Jesus
- Mary
Where scholars disagree
For
- Estelle Whelan — JAOS 1998: the variants are deliberate adaptation, consistent with an already fixed text
Against
No names on this side.
Links
Text and wording
In
Qur'an 4:171 and 5:73: 'Do not say Three' / 'God is the third of three'
The Dome inscription quotes Q 4:171–172.
quoted_in
attestedIn
The Dome inscription quotes Q 19:33–36.
quoted_in
attestedIn
Qur'an 112 (al-Ikhlas): 'He begets not, nor is He begotten'
The Dome inscription uses Sura 112.
quoted_in
attested
Sequence
In
The 'Believers' movement: an open monotheist community?
Donner: the Dome marks the hardening of a distinct Islamic identity.
culminates_in
scholarly hypothesis
Context
In
Jesus of Nazareth (crucifixion in Jerusalem)
The chain closes in Jerusalem: the Qur'anic Jesus is proclaimed in mosaic about 660 years after the crucifixion.
commemorated_in
attested
Sources
- Estelle Whelan, 'Forgotten Witness: Evidence for the Early Codification of the Qur'an', JAOS 118.1 (1998), 1–14
American Oriental Society / JSTOR. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Wikipedia: Dome of the Rock
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.